Siri Shortcuts MCP Server

What is Siri Shortcuts MCP Server about?

Enables language models to interact with the macOS Shortcuts app. The server exposes all installed shortcuts as MCP tools, allowing an LLM to list available shortcuts, open them in the Shortcuts UI, or execute them with optional text or file input.

How to use Siri Shortcuts MCP Server?

1. Install – the package is an npm module, so invoke it directly with npx.
2. Run the server – add a MCP server entry in your LLM client configuration (e.g., Claude) using the npx command and optional environment variables:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "siri-shortcuts": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-siri-shortcuts"],
      "env": {
        "GENERATE_SHORTCUT_TOOLS": "true",
        "INJECT_SHORTCUT_LIST": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Call tools – the LLM can now invoke list_shortcuts, open_shortcut, run_shortcut, or dynamically generated run_shortcut_<sanitized_name> tools.

Key Features of Siri Shortcuts MCP Server

• Complete shortcut exposure – every shortcut in the Shortcuts app becomes callable.
• Base tools: list_shortcuts, open_shortcut, run_shortcut.
• Dynamic tool generation – optional per‑shortcut tools named run_shortcut_<sanitized_name> for easier prompting.
• Input flexibility – accepts plain text or a file path as the shortcut’s input.
• Configurable behavior via GENERATE_SHORTCUT_TOOLS and INJECT_SHORTCUT_LIST environment variables.
• Uses macOS shortcuts CLI under the hood, ensuring native execution and output capture.

Use Cases of Siri Shortcuts MCP Server

• LLM‑driven personal automation – let an assistant schedule events, send messages, or control smart‑home devices through existing shortcuts.
• Context‑aware workflows – an LLM can query available shortcuts, select the appropriate one, and run it with dynamic data.
• Extended Claude or other model integrations – add powerful macOS actions without writing custom code for each task.
• Rapid prototyping – developers can expose new shortcuts instantly; the server updates tool list on the fly.

FAQ from the Siri Shortcuts MCP Server

• Q: How do I disable the automatically generated shortcut tools? A: Set GENERATE_SHORTCUT_TOOLS to false in the server’s environment variables.
• Q: Can the LLM see the list of shortcuts when using run_shortcut? A: Enable INJECT_SHORTCUT_LIST (set to true) to embed the shortcut list into the tool description.
• Q: What input types are supported for a shortcut? A: A plain string or a file path can be supplied via the optional input parameter.
• Q: Does the server require any special macOS permissions? A: It relies on the native shortcuts CLI, which works with the user’s existing Shortcuts permissions.
• Q: How are errors returned to the LLM? A: The server follows standard MCP error handling, returning structured error messages that the model can process.

Siri Shortcuts MCP Server

This MCP server provides access to Siri shortcuts functionality via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It allows listing, opening, and running shortcuts from the macOS Shortcuts app.

Features

• Exposes all shortcuts, meaning the LLM can call anything that is available in the Shortcuts app.
• List all available shortcuts
• Open shortcuts in the Shortcuts app
• Run shortcuts with optional input parameters
• Dynamically generated tools for each available shortcut

Tools

Base Tools

1. list_shortcuts

   • Lists all available Siri shortcuts on the system
   • No input required
   • Returns: Array of shortcut names

   {
     "shortcuts": [{ "name": "My Shortcut 1" }, { "name": "My Shortcut 2" }]
   }
   

2. open_shortcut

   • Opens a shortcut in the Shortcuts app
   • Input:
     • name (string): Name of the shortcut to open

3. run_shortcut

   • Runs a shortcut with optional input
   • Input:
     • name (string): Name or identifier (UUID) of the shortcut to run
     • input (string, optional): Text input or filepath to pass to the shortcut

Dynamic Tools

The server automatically generates additional tools for each available shortcut in the format:

• Tool name: run_shortcut_[sanitized_shortcut_name]
• Description: Runs the specific shortcut
• Input:
  • input (string, optional): Text input or filepath to pass to the shortcut

Configuration

The server supports the following environment variables:

• GENERATE_SHORTCUT_TOOLS (default: true): When set to false, disables the generation of dynamic shortcut tools. Only the base tools (list_shortcuts, open_shortcut, run_shortcut) will be available.
• INJECT_SHORTCUT_LIST (default: false): When set to true, injects the list of available shortcuts into the run_shortcut tool description to help the LLM understand which shortcuts are available.

Usage with Claude

Add to your Claude configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "siri-shortcuts": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-siri-shortcuts"],
      "env": {
        "GENERATE_SHORTCUT_TOOLS": "true",
        "INJECT_SHORTCUT_LIST": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

Implementation Details

• Uses the macOS shortcuts CLI command under the hood
• Sanitizes shortcut names for tool naming compatibility
• Supports both direct text input and file-based input
• Returns shortcut output when available
• Implements standard MCP error handling